World Traveling Without Leaving Home

Pretty mosaic by Las Ramblas I recently discovered a great way to explore the world without leaving your house. It's a company called Heygo. https://www.heygo.com/. You can travel to many far-flung places and it doesn't cost anything. The web site includes a calendar with all upcoming tours on it. So you peruse that and sign … Continue reading World Traveling Without Leaving Home →

Exploring Toledo, Spain

Photo of Toledo with Cathedral in background Toledo is a Spanish city with a rich history that blends Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultural influences through the centuries. Located in central Spain next to the Tagus river, the city was capital of the Visigoth-Catholic kingdom from 542 to 725 AD. This kingdom came into being after … Continue reading Exploring Toledo, Spain →

Helping Spaniards Improve Their English

Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit Spain in March, I haven't gone anywhere overnight. Being forced to stay in one place for months on end was hard for me, as it has undoubtedly been for many other people. I love to travel and look for opportunities to go somewhere and do something. So when my Canadian … Continue reading Helping Spaniards Improve Their English →

Five Days in Lisbon, Portugal

The beautiful city of Lisbon reminds some people of San Francisco: it's hilly, there are trams everywhere, it's beside the water, and it even has a big bridge built by the same company that constructed the Golden Gate Bridge. If you visit Lisbon, one thing I recommend you do is take the Yellow Bus tram … Continue reading Five Days in Lisbon, Portugal →

The Beauty of Andalucia

From where we live in Spain, we can see the Mediterranean Sea. It's a beautiful sight to behold, of course. But we like mountains too and hubby Rick and I are both from Chicagoland. This is not a place with mountains or even big hills of any kind. When we go out for a drive … Continue reading The Beauty of Andalucia →

A Royal Caribbean Cruise on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas

My hubby Rick turned 65 in October and I thought such an important milestone deserved a special occasion so I suggested we go on a Royal Caribbean cruise on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. He readily agreed. It was a week long cruise that started and ended in Venice, Italy. Venice is a magical place, … Continue reading A Royal Caribbean Cruise on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas →

Isla de Tabarca

Just south of Alicante, Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea, there is a small island called Isla de Tabarca or Tabarca Island in English. You can get there by motor boat in 15 minutes from the small town of Santa Pola. Or you can take a glass-bottom ferry from the same location. You can also get … Continue reading Isla de Tabarca →

Manet and Modern Beauty Exhibit

Jeanne (Spring) painted in 1881 When you were a child learning about famous French painters, did you confuse Manet with Monet? I certainly did. But I came up with a memory device that helped me figure out the difference between these two awesome painters. That is, Manet has the word Man in it and Edouard … Continue reading Manet and Modern Beauty Exhibit →

The Beauty of San Francisco’s Botanical Garden

Although I have been to Golden Gate Park before, I had never seen the stunningly beautiful Botanical Garden located there. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of exploring it for the first time. Here is a map of the park. As you may be able to see from the map, the park is divided into different … Continue reading The Beauty of San Francisco’s Botanical Garden →

Lesson 14: Ask for Directions

Question: Why does it take millions of sperm to fertilise one egg? Answer: Because they won't ask for directions. Mount St. Victoire, painted by Paul Cezanne Have you ever noticed how some people are scared to ask for directions? They don’t want to look like they don’t have everything under control so they just muddle … Continue reading Lesson 14: Ask for Directions →